“He’s got that street mentality. Technically, he’s better than if he’d stayed in the street, but if there was a six-a-side in the car park, you bet your life Adam’s going to be in it. He’d be the best player.

“We have great aspirations for him, not just for Newcastle, but for England too.

“Already, he’s gaining the respect of this group at the training ground.

“That’s what you want – you need your senior players to respect the younger players. It doesn’t always happen, you know.

“They’re not always helpful, senior players. They see them as a threat, a potential rival.

“If you have a good group, they cultivate those players.

“Sammy Ameobi has probably learnt more in the year training with the first team than he has in the last four years in the Academy.

“That’s no disrespect to the Academy. It’s just there’s a greater level of learning.”